Easy Bibim Guksu (Korean Cold Kimchi Noodles)

Bibim guksu is a spicy, refreshing Korean cold kimchi noodle dish, perfect for warm weather. You’ll enjoy its thin, chewy wheat noodles mixed with a flavorful gochujang sauce and kimchi. This easy recipe takes under 20 minutes and can be customized with your favorite vegetable toppings.

Bibim guksu, also known as bibimmyeon, always brings back memories of Korean summers. My mother was a pro at beating the heat while keeping us well-fed, often serving this spicy cold kimchi noodle dish.

Thin somen noodles, coated in a spicy gochujang sauce, and topped with chopped kimchi and crunchy veggies. Bibim guksu is quick to make with ingredients you already have in the kitchen. It’s delicious and requires minimal cooking time, making it perfect for a hot summer day’s meal.

Like its rice-based counterpart, bibimbap, bibim guksu is highly versatile and easy to customize. Toppings such as chopped kimchi, sliced cucumbers, shredded cabbage, carrots, onions, and even slices of beef or chicken can be added for a wholesome yet light and hearty one-bowl meal.

The fresh veggies provide a cool, refreshing taste, contributing to a healthy meal. You can adjust the toppings to fit your dietary needs, making it suitable for vegetarian or vegan diets.

Bibim Guksu vs Bibim Naengmyeon

Both are spicy cold noodle dishes originating from Korea, but they differ in the noodles used, the sauce ingredients, and the serving method.

Bibim guksu features thin wheat flour noodles, called somyeon, which are boiled and then rinsed in cold water. This dish is mixed with a spicy gochujang sauce made from pantry basics and is served with the noodles already coated in sauce. It’s a quick and refreshing summer meal option.

On the flip side, bibim naengmyeom recipe uses slightly chewier buckwheat noodles and a more intense sauce containing a variety of savory ingredients. The noodles and sauce are served separately, with the sauce on top of the noodles, ready to be mixed together when eating.

Ingredient Highlights

Noodles

The right noodles are a crucial element in bibim guksu recipe. The best options are packages that state “mak-guksu (막국수), or somyeon (소면)”. These thin, delicate wheat noodles pair perfectly with the spicy sauce and fresh vegetables.

To cook these noodles, boil them until they’re slightly chewy, then rinse them in cold water to halt the cooking process and cool them down. See my Kongguksu recipe for more ways to use these noodles.

Spicy sauce

The sauce imparts bibim noodles with its signature spicy and tangy flavor. The standard ingredients for the spicy bibim sauce recipe include gochujang, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, minced garlic, and sesame oil.

Adjust the spiciness and sweetness according to your preference by adding more or less gochujang and sugar.

Toppings

Any fresh veggies that don’t require cooking work well. Try salad greens, lettuce, cucumber, cabbage, carrot, or micro sprouts. Chopped kimchi is also a common and tasty addition.

Add a hard or soft boiled egg for some protein, or include any leftover cooked meat or deli slices. To make this dish vegan or vegetarian, simply omit the egg and any other animal protein.

How to make Bibim Guksu (Korean Cold Noodles)

Prepare the spicy sauce

• Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Set the mixture aside.
• Using a mortar, crush the toasted sesame seeds until they are coarsely ground. Set them aside.

Boil the noodles

• Boil a pot of water. Add the noodles and cook as per package instructions. For chewier noodles, add some cold water whenever the water boils. Repeat 2-3 times until the noodles are done.
• Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse under cold water, tossing them to cool down and improve texture. Drain thoroughly.

Coat noodles with sauce and add toppings

• Combine the cold noodles and bibim sauce in a bowl, tossing to coat evenly. Divide the noodles into serving bowls and add your desired toppings.
• Top with chopped kimchi, lettuce, cucumber, shredded cabbage, perilla leaves, and a hard-boiled egg. Sprinkle with crushed toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Serving suggestions

To eat, toss the noodles gently with the toppings to mix everything together. This will ensure that each bite is full of flavor and texture.

Unfortunately, this dish doesn’t store well as the noodles can turn mushy. So, it’s best to make just enough for one meal and share it with friends and family.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

1. When boiling noodles, add cold water once the water has come to a boil and reached the top of the pot. The addition of cold water will lower the temperature of the water and result in chewier noodles.
   • Repeat this process 2-3 times whenever the water returns to a boil, until the noodles reach your desired texture.
2. Transform your noodles with creative and delicious toppings! Don’t limit yourself to just one option – Don’t miss out kimchi as a topping since it adds the umami to the noodles. Experiment with different salad vegetables to add more color and texture.
   • Sliced lettuce, crunchy cucumber, shredded cabbage, flavorful perilla leaves (kkaennip), and micro sprouts are all great choices to take your dish to the next level.
   • A hard- or soft-boiled egg adds protein to the noodle dish.
3. To add a burst of flavor, try sprinkling freshly crushed toasted sesame seeds on top of your noodles. This will add a nutty and aromatic taste to your dish that you won’t be able to resist.
   • Simply crush the toasted sesame seeds in a small mortar or crush them between your fingers for the perfect finishing touch.

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